Internal-combustion engine



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C. R. WATSON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 24; 1920 5 sheets-sheet l ATTORNEYS? Feb. 2U, W23.

c, R. WATSON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 24, 1920 5 sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEY5 M. m3. m

C. R. WATSON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 24, 1920 5 sheets-sheet 5 INVENTQR r Fatented Felt. Em, ldfid i CHESTER BUY WATSUN, @F @ULWME'Ufi, OM10.

INTJEENAL-COMBUfiTIUN ENGINE.

application filed an at, man than n. teams. v

To all whom it may concern":

Be it known'that ll, Ciins'rnn For WAT- son, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Columbus, in the e unty of ill) Franklin and State of Olhio have invented certain new and useful Improvements in internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. 7

This invention relates to four-cycle internal combustion engines of one or more cylinders having various types of overhead valves, and operating mechanism, and my invention aims to provide an engine with positive and reliable means, as hereinafter set forth, for obtaining a maximum power at two or more points in the speed range of the engine and thus increase its scope or performance,

My invention further aims to provide an engine with a shiftable cam shaft having a combination of conventional inlet and exhaust cams in multiple sets thereon which may be selected for defined duties of the engine, and associated with the shiftable cam shaft is an operatin 'mechanisln therefor which may be manna y or automatically actuated.

My invention stillfurther aims to provide selective mechanisms that may be interposed between valve operating mechanism and multiple sets of cams so that any desired set of conventional inlet and exhaust cams may be utilized in turn" to produce a desired operation of an engine constructed in accordance with my invention.

The preferred forms of construction entering into in invention will be hereinafter til described an then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein Figure-l is a longitudinal sectional view of a four-cycle engine in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of a portion of a cam shaft;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of an engine showing another form of valve selector including intermediary levers on'a sliding bar; 7

Fig. l is a perspective view of camselectors forming part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of an on construction car mg the valve tappets from one cam to anot er; I

Fig. 6 we perspective view of the sliding bar shown in F1 5, and

Fig. 7 1s a s1 e elevation of another form of cam shiftingFmgchanism.

lConsidermg igs. 1 and 2, the reference numeral 1 denotes a crank case supporting a cyl1nder block 2 and journaled in the crank case is a crank shaft 3 provided with a w1 de ear wheel a or other power transmission evlce.

In the cylinder block 2 is achamber 5 normally communicating with the cylinder or eyllnders of the engine and this chamber is adapted to recelve an explosive mixture for the engine c linders and also permit of Y burned gases or austing therefrom, the intake and exhaust to and from the engine cylinders beingcontrolleol by valves 6 and 7 havlng operating mechanism 8 extending nto the upper portion of the crank case 1 to be operated from the crank shaft 3 of the engine. The elements 1 to 8 inclusive are of a conventional form found in may four-cycle engines and my invention partic- 3 and on said camshaft is a gear wheel 10 in sliding engagement with the gear wheel 4: and constantly in mesh therewith, the gear wheel 10 being keyed or otherwise mounted on the cam shaft 9, as shown in filounted on the cam shaft 9 are sets of cams ll, llfland 12, 12, these cams being of a conventional form adapted for operating the inlet and exhaust valves of an engine. The cams of each set are joined or combined by intermediate portions 13 affording an easy path from one cam to the other so that irrespective of the osition of the cam it is possible to shift elther into operative relation relative to the valve 0 crating mechanism which engages one or t e other locked in a shifted position to retain either ,of the cams 11 or 12 in position for actuating the valve operating mechanism in timed relation to the cycle of the engine. 7

In Fig. 3 each valve operating mechanism 8 is served by two anti-frictional plungers 21 and 22 engaging the cams 11 and 12 respectively and engaging the upper ends of the plungers 21 and 22 are pivoted selector members 23 which are in opposed relation and are supported by anoperating rod 24 having a central yoke or slotted portion 25 providing clearance for the valve operatlng mechanism 8. The rod 24 may be shifted similar to the rod 16 and in this instance the cam shaft 9 is non-reciprocable and the selector members 23 are employed to determine which of the cams 11 or 12 is to be used to impart movement to the valve operating mechanism 8. As shownin F1g. 3 the'plunger 22 and the cam 12 Wlll actuate the valve and as shown in Fig. 4 one of the selector members has been shifted over the plunger 21 under the valve operating mechanism 8 to impart movement thereto.

It is well known that for any given motor speed a certain combination of inlet and exhaust valve cam forms will give the maximum power for that speed and a compromise of performances at higher and lower speeds, also certain qualities of silence and durability in the valve operating mechanism. A conventional combination of inlet and exhaust cam forms can be chosen which will give the relative maximum performance, for instance, at 500 R. P. M. motor speed or a combination of cams can be chosen which will give a maximum performance of 3,500 R. P. M. motor speed. The performance at speeds above and below the point where the relative maximum performance ensues are a compromise under their possible maximums. Take for instance, an automobile motor which can have a very poor performance at speeds from zero to forty miles per hour rowing in excellency to a maximum perormance at ninety miles per hour, or with another set of cams the direct opposite in performance can be obtained. It is the usual practice to employ a cam combination which gives a maximum relative performance at some medium speed and the performances above and below said speed are compromise results suitable to the consumer. As set forth in the beginning my invention provides two or more combination of cams which are placed in operative relation to a valve operating mechanism, manually or by a governor, to enlarge the performance of an engine by increasing the points of maximum performances and incidentally reducing the compromise between these points. It is therefore evident that my invention, in its broadest aspect, consists in providing a four cycle motor with the effect of two or more conventional cam shafts, all combined in one motor, and selectable either automatically or at the operators will.

My invention further constitutes an addition to the conventionally designed engine and its application in combination with the variable factors of engine design lie well within the resources of any designer, as the crank case and cylinder block and major parts are not materially changed and the principles of my invention may be embodied in various types of four-cycle engines or motors.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I show a slotted slide bar 30 on a partition or support 31 and retained thereon by a bolt 32 and a nut 22 or other retaining means. One end of the slide bar is connected, as at 34 to an operating rod 35 which may be actuated by hand or any suitable power device.

The slide bar 30 affords a bearing or guide 36 for a tappet 37 which has a head 38 for actuating the valve operating mechanism 8. The lower end of the tappet 37 has a roller contact 39 for a double cam 40 constructed in accordance with my invention. By shifting the slide bar 30 the tappet 37 may be actuated from either of the cam forms.

A further modification of my invention has been shown in Fig. 7 wherein the engine block or crank case has a bearing 41 for a reciprocable sleeve 42 having a spiral groove 43 to receive a pin 44 of the bearing 41, said pin causing the sleeve 42 to reciprocate when rotated. One end of the sleeve supports an operating device 45 and extending from the op osite end of the sleeve is a driven cam s aft 46having cams 47 in accordance with my invention. The driven cam shaft 46 is held to be shifted by the sleeve 42 but may freely revolve in said sleeve.

Without further explanation it is thought that the utility of my invention will be apparent Without further description, and while in the drawings there are illustrated the" preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is I In an internal combustion engine having a memes valve operating mechanism z-means adapted to operate and regulate the action of said valve operating mechanism, saidmeans including a cam shaft having cams, ant1-fri2- .tional plungers normally engaging the cams of said cam shaft,'pivoted selector members normally engaging the upper ends of said plungcrs, said selector members being in opposed relation and one of said members normally engaging said valve operating mechanism and adapted to be shifted to permit of the other member engaging said valve operating mechanism, and an operating rod supporting said selector members and having a yoke providing clearance for saidvalve operating mechanism.

In testimony whereof I affix presence of two Witnesses. CHESTER ROY WATSON. Witnesses:

LILLIAN TIMMoNs, MATTHEW L. Broom.

my signature 1n 

